Bruno Fernandes left out as Carrick makes first Manchester United league line-up without captain

Michael Carrick has left Bruno Fernandes out of Manchester United’s starting XI for the Premier League meeting with Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday, after the Portugal international criticised the team’s tactical approach.

It is the first time Carrick has selected a Manchester United league starting line-up without Fernandes since becoming manager in January. It is also only the sixth occasion in Fernandes’ Premier League career that he has started a match on the substitutes’ bench, according to Opta.

The decision comes days after Fernandes questioned the way Manchester United played in their 4-1 defeat by Como in the Champions League.

Fernandes said the team had not pressed opponents man-to-man and had instead dropped back while waiting to regain possession. He felt that approach had given Como more space and confidence to play.

The midfielder’s importance to Manchester United’s attacking output under Carrick is reflected in the statistics. Since the manager’s first match in charge in January, Fernandes has created 96 chances and provided 14 assists.

Those figures make him the leading player for both assists and chances created across Europe’s five major leagues during that period.

Carrick stressed after the defeat by Como that carrying out the team’s tactical plan required players to run and move in both directions. He warned that Manchester United would not be able to win matches unless the players committed themselves to those demands.

Fernandes’ omission therefore represents a significant change for Carrick, who had included the captain in every Premier League starting line-up since taking responsibility for the team. It also places the focus on how Manchester United will approach Bournemouth without one of their main creative outlets from the beginning.

The match at Old Trafford is the eighth round of the Premier League. Opta confirmed that it is the first time Carrick has named a league starting XI without Fernandes, while the Bournemouth fixture marks only the sixth time the Portuguese has been named among the substitutes in the competition.